Former walk-on Erickson has improved from 'bad' WR to 'Mr. Dependable'

MADISON, Wis. -- While most members of Wisconsin's football team jogged off the practice field Tuesday evening to snag a protein shake, shower and eat dinner, Alex Erickson remained. For more than five minutes, he ran a series of routes with Tanner McEvoy, another opportunity for receiver and quarterback to develop a rapport. Another chance for Erickson to improve just a little bit more.

"Just continually getting that timing down," Erickson said afterward. "When the opportunities come, you can make them count."

If you want to know why Erickson has risen from a walk-on that had never played receiver to a scholarship player and Wisconsin's No. 1 pass-catching threat, that brief post-practice snippet provides as good of an example as any. Erickson has worked tirelessly over the past three years -- in the weight room, in team meetings and on the field -- to develop into one of Wisconsin's most reliable offensive players.

"You just take all the coaching you're getting and you put in extra time," Erickson said. "Try to be the first guy in, last guy out, whether it's in the weight room, trying to get extra work out here, asking the older guys, just taking what coach says and applying it on the field."

The fact Erickson had spent no time at wideout before arriving at Wisconsin makes his ascension all the more remarkable. He was an all-conference quarterback at Darlington High, but when he came to Wisconsin, he knew his quarterbacking days were over and picked receiver instead of safety. Erickson was especially close with Luke Swan, a former Wisconsin wide receiver who became an integral part of the team after arriving as a walk-on. Swan served as a graduate assistant under former coach Bret Bielema when Erickson began his college career.

Swan and Erickson worked closely together during his first season at Wisconsin in 2012. And the intricacies required to learn a new position took plenty of time for Erickson to understand.

In fact, Badgers wide receivers coach Chris Beatty -- who arrived as part of a new coaching staff in February 2013 -- heard about and saw up close just how far Erickson had to go.

"I had no idea how bad he was before I got here," Beatty said. "But Luke told me how bad he was. The first spring we got here, he was a non-factor. But you could tell everyday he was getting better. And by the time we got to the spring game, I said, 'Hey, this guy's got a shot.' The same thing continued throughout fall practice. So now it's one of those deals where it's just, he's our Mr. Dependable."

This season, Erickson has emerged as the team's only significant wide receiver threat. He has caught 13 passes in two games for 155 yards with a touchdown. Consider that no other wide receiver on the team has caught more than one pass (tight end Sam Arneson has five catches, running back Melvin Gordon four and running back Corey Clement four).

During Wisconsin's 37-3 victory against Western Illinois two Saturdays ago, Erickson produced his best game, catching 10 passes for 122 yards and his first career touchdown. But the performance left him far from satisfied.

"It just shows that what you're doing is working so far," Erickson said. "But it's also just a sign that you've got to keep working, keep progressing and keep growing every single day. You know how it goes. You can't have an off day, so you've got to stay consistent and just keep going."

A year ago, Erickson caught nine passes for 127 yards. But there was no guarantee he would take over as the No. 1 option for wide receiver Jared Abbrederis, who caught 78 passes for 1,081 yards before being drafted by the Green Bay Packers.

Erickson underwent surgery after the team's bowl game to repair a meniscus injury in his left knee. He missed all of spring practice and said he didn't begin running routes until mid-May. But with a relatively young receiving corps, Erickson quickly stood out during fall camp.

Beatty said he realized Erickson had the potential to be a special player when he went up against Ohio State last season. Erickson caught two passes for 25 yards during a nationally televised prime-time game. And from there, Beatty and head coach Gary Andersen have seen continual growth.

"He's so smart and he's so competitive that a lot of times that's a vicious combination," Andersen said. "He runs great routes. He's got good hands. He knows how to leverage in and out of routes. I think he takes coaching well.

"His success is a ton of credit to him from the day he was a walk-on until he got on scholarship."

The natural reaction to Erickson's meteoric rise is to compare him to Abbrederis. Both were standout in-state high school quarterbacks who chose Wisconsin without the benefit of an initial scholarship. Both transitioned to wide receiver and showed their drive to succeed, willing themselves into becoming essential pieces to the offense.

Beatty said Erickson does not possess the same type of "shake and bake" route running that Abbrederis had. But, much like Abbrederis, Erickson has excelled in the fundamentals. And now, Erickson is replacing the production left behind by his predecessor, one practice route at a time.

"When I was playing, he was one of those guys you'd sit back and everybody (said), 'I'm better than that guy. I'm better than that guy.' But he would always be open," Beatty said. "You'd say, 'Well why is he open?' Because he does every little thing right. He might not be the flashiest, but he does all the things right."

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